LG PH3 Candle Bluetooth Speaker Quick Review

LG also has new Bluetooth speakers in tow, and we were lucky enough to snag a PH3 Candle Portable Bluetooth speaker when we attended the company’s Asia leg of the Innofest last month. Here’s a quick look at the PH3 Candle Bluetooth speaker.

The PH3 is part of LG’s new series of lighted wireless speakers announced at IFA last year. Designed to mimic a soft candlelight, it wants to blend in your home by not being overly tech-centric and serve a purpose other than playing your music.

The PH3 comes in a cone-like structure that represents a mix of polycarbonate, rubber, and metal all over. The top part is covered in frosted glass, to which the ‘candle’ lights up as needed. The speaker, a 3-watt amplifier and included passive radiator, is built in the structure to blast a 360-degree sound, and are protected by the metal wire mesh surrounding the speaker structure.

A rubber strip breaks the continuity, with two small LED lights (one for Bluetooth and one for charging status), as well as four different buttons for Bluetooth, play/Pause, volume up, and volume down. Open the flap at the bottom, and you get to see the 3.5mm line-in port and the microUSB port for charging.

The bottom of the speaker features a rubber base to prevent slips on surfaces. There are also the buttons for power and light, which can help you toggle between five different ‘candle’ color modes of the speaker, a reset hole, as well as a handle for the battery inside (it’s not meant to be hung around). Its bulk, despite being marketed as a portable Bluetooth speaker, is quite a hard one to be carried around on a daily basis, but rather is meant to be positioned in an almost stationary location.

What’s good about the PH3 is it delivers excellent bass on powerful songs we’ve thrown at it. The device has clear highs and lows, but the mids seem to be muddled somewhere and not that distinguished. Despite the size, its highest volume is also loud enough to fill up a large room. The speaker also has this somewhat airy tone to it when you play music; nevertheless, the speaker has a good sound that could be enjoyed by the average listener.

The 1300mAh battery built in the speaker provides an average of 7 1/2 hours of use, both through the 3.5mm line in port and Bluetooth connectivity, on a single charge. Recharging the device takes awhile at around 3 hours from zero to full. Do note that it doesn’t come with its own charging adapter.

Overall, the LG PH3 Candle speaker delivers decent audio with a lightweight solution, offers a very simple way of wirelessly listening to the music you love. The added lighting can also help set the mood when you’re alone or with a company.

A portable speaker does have to be portable, though, so I don’t really see myself bringing this anywhere on a daily basis due to its size. I also tend to turn the lighting off for fear of extra power used in producing light, and the buttons on the device are quite a bummer especially when you want to change your mood light colors as you have to carry it up each time you want to do so. Nonetheless, the bass of the speaker alone and the loudness it produces could be key strong points that could make you buy this one if it will ever launch in our local shores.

LG PH3 Candle specs:
3W stereo speaker
Bluetooth
3.5mm Line In
microUSB
1300mAh battery
90.5 X 123.5 X 91 mm (dimensions)
0.29kg (weight)

The LG PH3 Bluetooth speaker is not yet available in the Philippines, but you can get one from South Korean online channels in gray, black, or red colors for KRW 81,000 or roughly Php3,600USD 61INR 5,201EUR 58CNY 447 before taxes and other fees.

Pros:

• Good bass
• 360-degree sound
• Mood lights are dope
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Tedious work to reach bottom buttons
• A bit hefty to being on the go
• Hard-to-read front buttons